


home is a feeling

by Woodswolf



Category: Free Realms (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I have feelings, JUST, no idea what else to put here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 00:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10546938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woodswolf/pseuds/Woodswolf
Summary: The world was ending soon, but all Cynthia wanted to do was stare at the sunset.Home is a feeling, but you never know what it truly is until it's gone.Written for theFree Realms Sunrise Writing Contest.





	

The world was ending soon, but all Cynthia wanted to do was stare at the sunset.

Her familiar wolf sat by her side on top of the high, rocky hill in Greenwood Forest – it was one of their favorite places to explore, always hiding a new secret valley or less-trodden path. But now was not the time for exploring – rather, it was time for remembering.

She remembered the cool, bubbling streams, water moving slowly towards its destination. She remembered the feeling of the wind through her hair, and the soft, cushioning feeling of the grass beneath her feet. She remembered searching every nook and cranny for new discoveries, and the surprising adventure of finding things she wasn’t even looking for.

She remembered the gigantic trees, spreading their canopy of leaves high above across the whole sky. She remembered the trails, the Chugawug patrols and random citizens wandering upon their paths. She remembered the mountains, and the lakes, and every single hill. But most of all, she remembered the sense that the world was constantly _alive,_ even when there was no one around.

And as she waited for the cursed darkness to set itself upon the land, she dug her hands into her familiar’s soft fur and smiled. This world was a memory, and she was going to treasure it even after all of it disappeared.

The sun receded below the horizon and surrendered the sky to inky blackness. It devoured all the world around her, but her tears continued to flow from her eyes until the void consumed her as well.

* * *

Something hard was cutting into her back, and as she shifted to relieve the pain, she realized that she existed.

Cynthia did not open her eyes. She refused. If she were truly back in the Sacred Grove, she would know from just the feeling of the world itself.

She took in a deep breath through her nose and tasted the wind with her tongue – it smelled of bright flowers and cool earth and morning dew from spring grass. She stilled herself and listened, and swore she could hear a stream, and distant songbirds. She felt along the ground with her hands, grasping at the smooth rocks and soft grass. She brought her face right down to the ground and smelled the soil, and the scent of water and rock and _life_ overwhelmed her.

And then she opened her eyes.

She found herself leaning against the roots of a great tree, staring up at where the sky would have been. Instead, she saw thousands of green leaves, and new buds among them, high in the tops of the trees. The grassy ground sloped downward to meet a small, rocky stream, and in the distance, she could just barely see a hint of a cobblestone road.

All of it bathed in yellowish early-morning light.

Cynthia stood up slowly, taking it all in one detail at a time. The grainy, yet smooth texture of the tree bark; the sky-blue shade of the water; the springy feeling of the grass under her boots. She tried to deny it all, blame it on some cruel side-effect of the curse, but she couldn’t doubt it at all after she’d seen it with her own eyes.

Tears once again leaked from the corners of her eyes, but they were different. These were tears of disbelief, of happiness, of relief, of pure joy. These tears were for something once lost, now returned. These tears were for the miracle before her eyes, and the return of her home.

She started to sob as her joy overwhelmed her, and she rubbed her eyes to clear them, so that she could finally see the sun.

Another minute passed as she tried to regain her composure. After another moment, she glanced around once again to search for her familiar companion, but he was nowhere in sight. That was when she decided what she would do.

She turned her face towards the distant road and began to walk. She would find him, eventually, but she decided it didn’t matter how long it would take. All that mattered anymore was here and now.

Because finally, after so much time, she was back. Finally, after so much time, Cynthia was home.

**Author's Note:**

> i have Feelings about this game ok,,,, just,,,,, so many feelings,,,,,,


End file.
